


You Have Your Mother's Laugh

by nhasablog



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Laughter, Tickling, death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 11:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11850453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: And recently, he saw her in the way Harry laughed. He didn’t only have his mother’s eyes, but he’d also inherited her laugh.





	You Have Your Mother's Laugh

Sirius caught glimpses of James in Harry a lot - hell, sometimes even of himself and Remus when they were younger - but occasionally, in the light of nostalgia, he would see Lily in him, and it would catch him so off guard that he had to stare and stare and stare to make sure it wasn’t just an illusion.

He saw her in the way Harry furrowed his brow when a problem would arise. How he wanted to solve it so badly, but not being entirely sure how. He saw her in the way Harry observed the twins when they wreaked havoc and Molly scolded them. The way he didn’t participate, but was still quite amused by it, though desperately trying to hide it from Molly, just like Lily used to do back in the days in order to not encourage them. He saw her in the way Harry smiled at him, so warmly and lovingly at times that it almost hurt. He probably didn’t know he was doing it either. While James used to grin Lily used to beam, and Sirius caught sight of both smiles on his godson’s face, and it hurt, but it was a good sort of pain.

And recently, he saw her in the way Harry laughed. He didn’t only have his mother’s eyes, but he’d also inherited her laugh. It was sort of breathy and giggly, not like James’, that had been loud and never-ending. Harry’s was more quiet, just like Lily’s had been. While that had been one of the few quiet parts of her, Harry’s matched his personality a bit more. And Sirius was absolutely obsessed with it.

He’d heard it before, of course; brief instances that he didn’t think too much of other than the fact that he was glad Harry could still laugh, after everything. But then one evening he really heard it, and it took him back so many years that he wasn’t even sure where he was anymore, and Remus had to repeat himself three times before Sirius understood he was speaking. And when they shared a look Sirius knew Remus understood.

That was two days ago, and Sirius had been aching to hear that genuine, carefree giggle again, but he was running low on jokes, and Harry seemed to be troubled enough as it was without Sirius spewing bad puns in his direction. He watched his godson interact with his friends, but rather than joke around like 15 year olds should they all just looked tired, and it broke Sirius’ heart that the war they had been so desperately trying to end back in his days was still affecting the people who had barely been born back then. It all felt so useless.

Harry suddenly caught his eye, informing Sirius that he had very much been staring, and he smiled. It was small, but said so much. Just like Lily’s used to do.

He swallowed back the lump in his throat and grinned back. Harry didn’t need to know how much he saw his best friends in him. He had enough to deal with without that burden.

Ron and Hermione conveniently had to leave the room once they saw Harry looking at Sirius, and the two of them were now alone, on opposite ends of the small lounge somewhere in the middle of the house.

Sirius entered the room fully, his eyes automatically examining every nook of the room critically. He’d never spent a lot of time in here. It was too small, and anyone could pass on their way to their bedrooms or whatnot. He’d never liked feeling trapped between them all.

He sat down on the couch next to Harry, who looked just as confused over his friends’ sudden departure as Sirius felt. Meaning not at all.

“How are you finding your stay here?” Sirius asked as Harry turned his body to face him more directly.

“It’s better than the alternative,” Harry replied with a shrug. “Just wish I could’ve come sooner.”

Sirius didn’t miss the bitter note in his voice, and he felt a coolness for the people whose decision had been to leave Harry at the Dursleys with no information settle over his heart. “You know I’ve been wanting you to come since the beginning-”

“I know, don’t worry.”

Sirius attempted another grin, which Harry responded to with a weak smile. He wanted to badly for it to be strong.

He cleared his throat. “You know what I’ve noticed?”

“What?”

“That you look absolutely exhausted. When was the last time you had a proper night’s sleep?”

Harry looked sheepish when he said, “Can’t really remember. I just keep seeing… Well, you know.”

“I do.” A pause, and then, “I’m sorry you have to deal with that. Do you want me to help you out?” Because as good as a heart to heart would be he felt like they both needed some ease right now.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “How are you going to do that?”

“There’s this method that we used to use all the time when we were younger. James and Remus and I, I mean.”

“And what does it entail?”

“Maybe I should show you rather than tell you.”

Harry looked wary, but he nodded anyway. “Okay. Anything to get my mind to shut off for a while.”

Sirius hadn’t known in what direction to take this until he’d started talking about the method, and he scooted closer to Harry excitedly. He figured he could help them both this way.

“If you want me to stop, just say so, okay?”

“Okay.”

And so Sirius set to work, and he could tell Harry hadn’t been expecting him to be so handsy about it.

Truth was it had been over ten years since he’d last tickled someone, so he was a little rusty, but Harry started laughing instantly anyway. He didn’t want to be too aggressive about it, so he only poked and prodded wherever he could reach without trapping him or anything, but his godson seemed to be so sensitive that it didn’t matter. He was squirming in his seat, his hands flailing uselessly around them, and his laughter was filling the room so rapidly that neither of them would fit in it soon, and it was absolutely glorious.

Sirius could definitely detect traces of James in his laughter whenever it rose in pitch, but it was mostly Lily. Bubbly and breathy and oh so beautiful. Sirius almost never wanted to stop.

But he did, of course, when Harry asked him to.

Harry’s cheeks were flushed, partly from laughing and partly from embarrassment, Sirius reckoned, but he looked happy when they both leaned back again; a feeling that Sirius shared in that moment.

“Did it help?”

“Yes. I mean, I guess. I mean, I’ll know for sure tonight.” Harry sounded a little flustered, which was so endearing that Sirius had to hide his smile behind his hand. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I had just as fun as you did.”

Harry breathed out another laugh. “Good to know.”

“It’s good to know you’re ticklish, too. Could be useful later on,” Sirius said with a wink.

“I have a feeling I’ll never live this down.”

“I wasn’t part of the Marauders for nothing. And besides-” Sirius poked him in the chest, and while he was sure it didn’t tickle Harry laughed anyway. “-you have your mother’s laugh.”

“Do I?”

“Uh huh.”

Harry looked happy at the thought of that, so Sirius figured it wasn’t a bad thing sharing the fact. He certainly laughed a lot more after that, with a little help from Sirius and his fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com) for tickle fics.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasasideblog.tumblr.com) for non-tickle fics.


End file.
